G'day from Melbourne! After I last wrote from Sydney, I went on my day trip to the Blue Mountains. It was well worth the trip with spectacular views. Our first stop was off the beaten track and up onto a huge ledge, hundreds of feet high, giving spectacular views of the Blue Mountains and 'The Three Sisters'. The Blue Mountains actually aren't mountains but a huge expanse valleys and cliffs and rock formations, including 'The Three Sisters' which are three distinct rock formations, high above a huge sweeping valley of eucalyptus trees. The reason for the name 'blue' mountain is that the eucalyptus emits a blue haze that floats over the valleys. We were lucky enough to get a bit of a cloudy day, which makes the blue even stronger. It was quite beautiful. I met a couple of girls from London (one of which had the rather impressive job of a Bluepeter producer) and we spent the day together, which was nice. We then went on the world's steepest train ride, which was more like a rickety lift on wheels! A little scary but stunning views. At the end of the day we had a cruise along the river and into Sydney Harbour where me, Kristen and Roz bought a bottle of sparkling wine and sat outside a restaurant, looking out to the bridge and Opera House. Lovely! Then, after I waved the girls of, I found a quiet spot and watched the beauty of Sydney Harbour at night. The Opera House and bridge were illuminated, and the city around sparkled with little twinkly lights. The cruise boats were leaving the harbour, creating multicoloured reflections on the water from their decks. Somewhere in the distance, a busker was playing the guitar and I think it was a Gordon Lightfoot song, although I'm not sure of the name. It was so romantic, even if I was on my own! I could have stayed there all night. If I were ever going to see Sydney again only once, it would be at night. It was just mesmerising. When I got back I went for a drink with one of my roommates in the bar downstairs from the hostel. The rugby sevens was on the telly and I saw the England team I had traveled with to LA! It was brilliant because I recognised them all! Really wish I'd got my photo with them now! On Friday I had a wonder around 'Paddy's Market' and then headed off to catch my flight to Melbourne. I met my cousin Richard, wife Tara and beautiful baby Olivia, who had kindly invited me to stay. Olivia is simply gorgeous and I was privileged enough to make a good impression and she warmed to me instantly. Apparently they've been having problems with her and strangers but she actually seemed to really like me! I must have inherited my mum's way with babies. Watch out Tone, I'm getting broody! On Saturday I headed into the city, which is buzzing with the Commonwealth Games. Dotted around the city were huge screens, showing all the live events, which was good. I went to the Visitor's Information Centre and booked a day trip along the Great Ocean Road and also a flight from Melbourne to Adelaide because I realised it would take 10 hours by coach! I'm getting a little more used to flying now but I can't say I'm enjoying it yet! Maybe after my twelfth flight in three months I'll be completely used to it! After exploring the city for the day I was picked up by Richard and Tara, who took me to a Japanese restaurant. It was really lovely. The chef cooked right in front of our table and entertained us by getting us to catch bowls of rice and flicking pieces of food into our open mouths. Olivia was with us and unfortunately it frightened her so for the rest of the night were taking it in turns to keep her entertained outside - she wouldn't come back into the restaurant without screaming! Tone, you can relax - broodiness evaporated! On Sunday we went to for breakfast in trendy 'St Kilda', a suburb by the sea. As you can imagine, my belly is expanding by the day! I may return brown but definitely plump! I then got to see the marathon go by. They had been running for about an hour and a half and it looked like torture. I just don't understand it! We then had a lovely stroll along the beach. Today I went on 'The Great Ocean Road', which was probably one of my favourite day trips so far. I've learned since being away that when you go on a day trip it is worth trying to get sat at the front with the driver. You get brilliant views and the drivers are generally always interesting people. Our first stop was at Bell's beach, probably the most famous surfing spot in the world. It reminded me a little of the north coast of Cornwall but the surf was far more impressive. There were only a handful of surfers out but they were catching some incredible waves. Then we entered the gateway to the 'Great Ocean Road' - a scenic road that runs along the coastline between Melbourne and Adelaide. Our lunch stop was at a beautiful place called 'Apollo Bay'. It was probably the first place on my trip that I instantly thought I could live at. The beach and water were beautiful and behind that was a lovely green common with beautiful old trees and then a row of shops and cafes running along the road. It was a really beautiful place. We then drove a few miles inland to 'Otway National Park' and had a walk through an amazing forest of some of the worlds tallest trees. They were eucalyptus trees, and there were also ferns and myrtle beeches, which were incredible, twisting, hollowed out trees that reminded my of my favourite childhood story; 'The Magic Faraway Tree'. Later in the afternoon we reached 'The 12 Apostles'. They are rock formations in the sea that span along the coastline. There actually aren't anywhere near 12 anymore because several have disintegrated into the sea but the view was nevertheless breathtaking. I think I just loved the contrast of colours. The gold cliffs and rocks, the deep turquoise blue of the sea, the blue sky, the white foam and twinkling of the sun on the water. I wish I could have stayed there all day. Utterly spectacular. I can understand why the 12 apostles are so famous now. On our journey back to Melbourne I was chatting to our tour guide driver, who was a really interesting man called Rick. I found out that he was a practicing 'spiritual healer' and he just exuberated this warmth and happiness that really touched me. It was a really interesting chat we had on the way home, and although I'm still quite skeptical about all that spiritual stuff I left the bus feeling really uplifted. The perfect end to a perfect day. Anyway, on to Adelaide tomorrow so I'll write more from there xxx